PSA: I was using a heat gun to strip paint for 8 years before I saw a guy in Boise just use a scraper

I mean, I always thought you needed the heat to really get under the old finish, especially on those thick, old layers. But this guy at a workshop last month was working on an 1890s dresser and just used a sharp cabinet scraper with some mineral spirits, and it came off cleaner and faster. He said the heat can actually drive the old varnish deeper into the grain on some woods. Has anyone else found that heat guns can sometimes make the job harder on certain pieces?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamesf4126d ago

Honestly that guy in Boise got lucky with one dresser. Tbh a heat gun is the only way to soften up those rock hard old paint layers so they actually let go. I've had scrapers just skate right over the top and leave a huge mess without heat. Ngl the idea that heat drives finish deeper sounds like a workshop myth, I've never seen it happen.

patriciam5126d ago

Seen heat bake shellac right into oak grain before.

shanelee26d ago

Man, I've seen that happen. On some old pine, the heat turns the varnish into this sticky tar that just smears. A sharp scraper and some patience with the grain works better for me on those. The heat gun is still my go-to for most paint though.